Universities are places for freedom of thought

"What we need is a free European society that accepts and tolerates differences of opinion and that ensures its journalists' safety," said Ihne. He argued that critical exchanges of views were key and essential for academics. "Reasoned discourse is one of the highest forms of civilisation. The peaceful exchange of divergent opinions and points of view is one of the achievements of European society." According to Ihne the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, where people from 50 nations work and study, is also responsible for instilling such a mindset in its students.

Ihne believes that freedom of the press is an essential feature of a society that is capable of discourse. "At our university we train journalists to criticise others. Such journalism requires freedom and security, even in the event of adverse reporting." Journalists must not feel that they have to self-censor. The university president argued that the ultimate goal pursued by terrorists such as those in Paris was to unleash a cultural war. According to Ihne all of society’s institutions are called upon to stand in for a free and tolerant society. He stressed that the university contributed to achieving this objective by training academics to accept and tolerate differences of opinion and to value cultural diversity. "At our university we consciously promote mutual respect among people of different origin based on our Guidelines on fair behaviour", Ihne added.

According to the president, our university feels a strong connection to the universities and people in France and will express this attitude towards its French partner universities – Université de Poitiers, Institut Universitaire de Technologie (IUT) Paris Descartes, Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne und Université de Bordeaux.